Buying Advice I just signed the paper on a house with 14+ acres, need advice

[aczlan]

I see driving a big comfy tractor as relaxing compared to a ztr.

"Big" means different things to different people. Certainly long-wheelbase tractors are more comfortable than short-wheelbase tractors. However, only a minuscule proportion of tractors have a suspension system. The suspension is the pneumatic tires and nothing else. Tractors are mostly operated on rough ground, so while the ride varies I would rarely call it smooth; though it may be relaxing if the temps is under 85 degrees and over 60 degrees.

I would say that it depends on the tractor and the ZTR. Very few tractors can match a ZTR for mowing speed if your ground is smooth enough to let you mow fast. The Exmark Lazer Z mowers I used to use when I worked for a lawn care company (60" and 72" decks, 27HP watercooled Kawasakis) were smoother at 12 MPH than my inlaws BX2660 is at 6-8MPH.

If I mowed the entire yard with a ztr wouldn't that mean I'd have to mow the entire yard every time? I have this notion that I'd keep the part near the house well maintained but out by the edge of the property I'd just "keep it in check". I think that means hitting it with the flail/bush hog once a month or so.
[snip]
I've watched ztr's on youtube struggle with 18" of grass. To me that means I can't skip a part of the yard.

It depends on the mower and how thick the grass is. I have run through 2' tall grass almost as fast as the mower could go with the deck all the way up, I have also struggled in 12" high thick grass (had the deck all the way down for that run though).
Here is a video with a Exmark running through some tall grass:
Exmark Lazer Z 72" XP commercial zero turn lawn mower cutting through 2 FOOT high grass! HD - YouTube
And a Gravely: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKGrrbpuMjc

Aaron Z

 

[tcreeley]

If I mowed the entire yard with a ztr wouldn't that mean I'd have to mow the entire yard every time? I have this notion that I'd keep the part near the house well maintained but out by the edge of the property I'd just "keep it in check". I think that means hitting it with the flail/bush hog once a month or so.

Also, I may be crazy but I see driving a big comfy tractor as relaxing compared to a ztr. I don't have any experience with either so I'm here to learn.

I've watched ztr's on youtube struggle with 18" of grass. To me that means I can't skip a part of the yard.

I think I misunderstood you when you said -yard. I read lawn- that's what people say up here. The way you use yard, it is what I'd call a field or meadow.

I think you know what you want- I'd go for it.

-You have to want what you get. That massey you were checking out is a nice tractor! Many uses!

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I would say that it depends on the tractor and the ZTR. Very few tractors can match a ZTR for mowing speed if your ground is smooth enough to let you mow fast. The Exmark Lazer Z mowers I used to use when I worked for a lawn care company (60" and 72" decks, 27HP watercooled Kawasakis) were smoother at 12 MPH than my inlaws BX2660 is at 6-8MPH.


It depends on the mower and how thick the grass is. I have run through 2' tall grass almost as fast as the mower could go with the deck all the way up, I have also struggled in 12" high thick grass (had the deck all the way down for that run though).
Here is a video with a Exmark running through some tall grass:
Exmark Lazer Z 72" XP commercial zero turn lawn mower cutting through 2 FOOT high grass! HD - YouTube
And a Gravely: Gravely Zero Turn Slashing Tall Grass at Robs Mowers Alstonville - YouTube

Aaron Z

The taper on the blades isn't acute enough. In other words, the angle of the cutting blades is to blunt. I can tell by the cutting pattern from the video and my own blade sharpening experience and experience cutting tall, thick grass.

 

[milkman636]

Exmark Lazer Z 72" XP commercial zero turn lawn mower cutting through 2 FOOT high grass! HD - YouTube

Watching this video was sorta painful for me. It looked like he was travelling pretty slow, and sitting right down in the weeds. All the sh#$ coming out of the chute would be blowing back up in your face 1/2 the time. Even just pushing the weeds over with the front edge of the deck would cover you in dust PDQ. In my opinion that is not the right tool for the job, especially 14 acres of it. Riding on my tractor I'd be up above the weeds and the rotary cutter would be discharging behind me, and my travel speed would be higher. But hey, different strokes for different folks.

 

[aczlan]

Exmark Lazer Z 72" XP commercial zero turn lawn mower cutting through 2 FOOT high grass! HD - YouTube
Watching this video was sorta painful for me. It looked like he was travelling pretty slow, and sitting right down in the weeds. All the sh#$ coming out of the chute would be blowing back up in your face 1/2 the time. Even just pushing the weeds over with the front edge of the deck would cover you in dust PDQ. In my opinion that is not the right tool for the job, especially 14 acres of it. Riding on my tractor I'd be up above the weeds and the rotary cutter would be discharging behind me, and my travel speed would be higher. But hey, different strokes for different folks.

It is not designed for that, but it will do it. With that much grass and a ZTR you should be going in circles around the field (or sections of the field) with the chute pointing out and you could go significantly faster than that guy was.

With 14 acres to mow every week, I would use a 40-70HP tractor and a batwing (either a Turf Batwing or a regular one with sharp blades) or (more likely) use it for hay.

Aaron Z

 

[teg]

...or (more likely) use it for hay.

Is getting someone to hay it an option? and make a few bucks in the process...

 

[vanguard]

Is getting someone to hay it an option? and make a few bucks in the process...

I don't know. I'm too green to know how much hay earns but I suspect that it's worth less to us than having the property the way we really want it, whatever that is.

 

[aczlan]

I don't know. I'm too green to know how much hay earns but I suspect that it's worth less to us than having the property the way we really want it, whatever that is.

That is the important part. Having it the way you want it.
If you are planning on mowing it every week, I would get a large multisection mower (such as a turf batwing or a wide area mower) to reduce your mowing time.
Once you get past a 5 or 6 foot wide mower for finish mowing, you will see scalping unless your property is golf course smooth.
A turf batwing or WAM has 3 (or sometimes more) 4-6 foot wide mower decks which let it follow the contours of the ground better than a single deck could.

Aaron Z

 

[vanguard]

That is the important part. Having it the way you want it.
If you are planning on mowing it every week, I would get a large multisection mower (such as a turf batwing or a wide area mower) to reduce your mowing time.
Once you get past a 5 or 6 foot wide mower for finish mowing, you will see scalping unless your property is golf course smooth.
A turf batwing or WAM has 3 (or sometimes more) 4-6 foot wide mower decks which let it follow the contours of the ground better than a single deck could.

Aaron Z

I'm going there tomorrow with the inspector. I'm going to take a more careful look at the land. IIRC, it's *really* flat. But it takes a walk to get a vibe for something like how fast a ztr mower can travel.

 

[aczlan]

Here are two examples of what I am talking about for a truf batwing:
A turf batwing with 3 5' decks: BEFCO 17ft Batwing finishing mower
A turf batwing with a bunch of smaller decks: PROGRESSIVE 10 FOOT FINISHING MOWER

And for something to pull it (assuming that this will be a dedicated machine) you might look at a retired golf course tractor such as: Ford 2110 Gas ag Tractor Power steering high low

Aaron Z